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Curiosities and Oddities at Marshall Forest Preserve National Natural Landmark in Rome, Georgia!

July 15, 2026/in Updates /by Steve Jones

NOTE: Some of my GBH photo essays were not routinely distributed from mid-February through mid-June. I will resend those one by one, beginning the first week of July. Here is my Post from March 5 (https://stevejonesgbh.com/2026/03/05/re-visiting-auburn-universitys-louise-kreher-forest-ecology-preserve-and-nature-center/)

Fellow retired forester Chris Stuhlinger, retired videographer Bill Heslip, and I visited Marshall Forest Preserve on April 5, 2026. Established as Georgia’s first National Natural Landmark, near Rome, Georgia, the Preserve is recognized by the Old Growth Forest Network (https://www.oldgrowthforest.net/). The preserve encompasses ~300 acres of undisturbed upland pine and hardwood forest. Our wandering began as persistent overnight rain ended, rewarding us with trunks stem-flow-darkened and bark surfaces beautifully algae-patterned in the relatively limited light under low clouds. The dampened woodland seemed to accent the curiosities and oddities I highlight in this weekly photo essay.

A twisted, stunted, dwarfed black cherry tree presented a gnome-arch trailside near the trailhead. Were I younger and more nimble, I may have made a ceremonial entrance on hands and knees. However, were I not incessantly young at heart, I may not have viewed the natural scupture as a fairy gateway!

A forked chestnut oak provided an eye-level sightline into the forest. There is nothing unusual about a forked oak. I include this tree only as a prop for the interesting photo that follows.

A bark-stripped standing dead loblolly pine had recently yielded to gravity, snapping three feet above the ground, vectoring gently enough that its bole neatly lodged in the forked notch of an adjacent oak, not unlike the lower-forked oak above. What were the chances? Perhaps within five of the 360 degree circumference available to it. The fallen stem leans at a perfect 45-degree angle. I wonder how long the laws of Nature will hold the pine trunk aloft before it slams to the ground, where agents of decomposition will act more earnestly. Ashes to ashes; dust to dust; an inevitable end game for life on Earth.

I love seeing Vaccinium arboreum, the only tall shrub/tree form of the blueberry genus. I encounter it most often on rocky slopes and cragggy exposed sites. Its orange-striped, twisted stems compel me to take a closer look, engage my imagination, and snap a photograph. Its physical form, distinctive bark color, and common names demand more than a casual glance. How can I resist sparkleberry, farkleberry, and winter huckleberry!

Resisting being out-contorted by sparkle/farkle/huckleberry, this understory black cherry insists not to comport by the natural laws of geotropism and phototropism. It seems to live indepedent of the laws generally applicable to its main canopy brethren that reach straight and tall in opposition to gravity and drawn by sunlight above.

Only its distinctive cornflake shredded bark and emerging spring leaves belie its identity as Prunus serotina.

Nature is amazingly resilient, valiantly attempting to survive impact and injury to eventually produce seed and extened its genetic lineage. Some force (a branch from above, a tree, or a heavy snow or ice load) slammed a sapling black cherry to horizontal several decades ago. The fallen stem activated a shoot from a dormant (adventitious) bud 15 feet from the overturned base. The vertical shoot may produce seed, achieving its ultimate purpose.

I marvel at Nature’s endless novelties. However, even as I classify these phenomena as new or unusual (i.e. novel), I admit that I never fail to discover tree form oddities and curiosities wherever I wander forests. Are these features deserving of special recogntion as novel, odd, curious, or unusual? A question worth pondering. I believe the answer is, yes, any circumstance that prompts me to wonder about the cause that led to a visible result is worthy of a special recognition moniker: oddity, curiosity, novel…

Leonardo da Vinci observed 500 years ago that natural phenomena can be explained by the universal laws of nature.

and

Nature never breaks her own laws!

Albert Einstein would have concurred:

I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.

and

The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.

Dead and Down Woody Debris

Significant biomass in dead and down woody debris is one distinguishing feature of old-growth forests. The resin-saturated pine skeleton below is the interior lightered core of a long dead pine. The outer dead wood that was not decomposer-resistant worked its way into the carbon cycle decades, if not centuries, ago.

The distinct pine knots will litter the forest floor for many years hence.

My companions agreed with me that this fallen pine corpse retains a dragon head reaching to the trail edge.

A standing dead pine snag retains a curious cupped depression three above ground. The wound looks mechanical, yet I’ve never seen a chainsaw create such a scoop mark. We noted the novel appearance…and moved along the trail, content that even we could not discern a cause for every result.

This veteran oak sported a porcine snout 20 feet up its bole. An old branch stub, the snout likely opens to a hollow core.

This wound on another oak clearly opens to a hollow interior. The misshapen swollen trunk is a sure indication of rot and fungal infection.

Yet another oak shows the signs of decay, suggested by an open branch stub portal, also signalling a hollow decayed core. A large burl also attracts attention. The rarity in this forest my be trees without distinguishing oddities, curiosities, and novelties.

A total anomaly, this black cherry tree comported with none of the identifying criteria listed in species keys.

The conspicuous lowland gorilla face did not assist our musings.

We marveled at an agrobacterial oak crown gall. I reminisced on the two years when I was responsible for procuring hardwood sawlogs for a Union Camp (my employer 1973-1985) hardwood lumber mill near the Virginia/North Carolina coastal plain border. Nearly every novelty I’ve mentioned would have been a defect rejecting delivery to the mill yard. Union Camp did not reward my latent talent for pondering tree form curiosities, oddities, and novelties!

I find beautiful patterns, especially on rain-wetted bark, this loblolly pine as an example. Bark crevices, with their associated microclimates, support fissure-colonies of algae, highlighting the plate margins with pale green.

I saw only a single tree example of this loblolly pine with a unique shredded, shed-bark trunk collar phenomenon, which shouted out for my attention. I suppose that the shredded bark skin at its base is resistant to decay (dry-layered above the moist mineral soil), even if very flammable. This segment of th MFP has not burned, at least for decades. Sometimes seeing a curiosity accomplishes little more than spark my interest in being on the lookout for seeing it again. Repetition may open my eyes to seeing it often enough to foster understanding and explanation.

We’ve all heard the admonition about not seeing the forest for the trees. Across many chapters of my life and career, I saw the forest and the trees. Only later in this retirement life-chapter did I begin focusing on curiosities, novelties, oddities, and mysteries. Like Albert Einstein, I have evolved into a creature of passionate curiosity.

Thoughts and Reflections

I offer these observations:

There is no result in nature without a cause; understand the cause and you will have no need of the experiment. (Leonardo da Vinci)
Death is a powerful and ubiquitous part of forest life. Ashes to ashes; dust to dust; an inevitable end game for life on Earth. (Steve Jones)
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. (Albert Einstein)

Inhale and absorb Nature’s elixir. May Nature Inspire, Inform, and Reward you!

Note: Unless otherwise noted, all blog post images are created & photographed by Stephen B. Jones.

I am available for Nature-Inspired Speaking, Writing, and Consulting — contact me at steve.jones.0524@gmail.com

Subscribe to my free weekly photo essays (like this one) at: http://eepurl.com/cKLJdL

A reminder of my Personal and Professional Purpose, Passion, and Cause

If only more of us viewed our precious environment through the filters I employ. If only my mission and vision could be multiplied by untold orders of magnitude:

Mission: Employ writing and speaking to educate, inspire, and enable readers and listeners to understand, appreciate, and enjoy Nature… and accept and practice Earth Stewardship.

Vision:

People of all ages will pay greater attention to and engage more regularly with Nature… and will accept and practice informed and responsible Earth Stewardship.
They will see their relationship to our natural world with new eyes… and understand their Earth home more clearly.

Tagline/Motto: Steve (Great Blue Heron) encourages and seeks a better tomorrow through Nature-Inspired Living!

Steve’s Four Books

I wrote my books Nature Based Leadership (2016), Nature-Inspired Learning and Leading (2017), Weaned Seals and Snowy Summits: Stories of Passion for Place and Everyday Nature (2019; co-authored with Dr. Jennifer Wilhoit), and Dutton Land & Cattle: A Land Legacy Story (2025) to encourage all citizens to recognize and appreciate that every lesson for living, learning, serving, and leading is either written indelibly in or is powerfully inspired by Nature. All four of my books present compilations of personal experiences expressing my deep passion for Nature. All four books offer observations and reflections on my relationship with the natural world… and the broader implications for society. Order any from your local indie bookstore, or find them on IndieBound or other online sources such as Amazon and LifeRich.

I began writing books and Posts for several reasons:

I love hiking and exploring Nature
I see images I want to (and do) capture with my trusty iPhone camera
I enjoy explaining those images — an educator at heart
I don’t play golf!
I do love writing — it’s the hobby I never needed when my career consumed me
Judy suggested my writing is in large measure my legacy to our two kids, our five grandkids, and all the unborn generations beyond
And finally, perhaps my books and Blogs could reach beyond family and touch a few other lives… sow some seeds for the future

Marshall Forest Preserve National Natural Landmark in Rome, Georgia!

July 1, 2026/in Updates /by Steve Jones

NOTE: Some of my GBH photo essays were not routinely distributed from mid-February through mid-June. I will resend those one by one, beginning the first week of July. Here is my Post from February 18 (https://stevejonesgbh.com/2026/02/18/mid-november-25-year-return-to-alabamas-chewacla-state-park/)

Fellow retired forester Chris Stuhlinger, retired videographer Bill Heslip, and I visited Marshall Forest Preserve, established as Georgia’s first National Natural Landmark near Rome, Georgia, on April 5, 2026. Recognized by the Old Growth Forest Network (https://www.oldgrowthforest.net/), the preserve encompasses ~300 acres of undisturbed upland pine and hardwood forest. Our wandering began as persistent overnight rain ended, rewarding us with trunks stem-flow-darkened and bark surfaces beautifully algae-patterned in the relatively limited light under low clouds. I’m a big fan of National Natural Landmarks!

Bill and Chris stood at the traihead monument, a provocative stone symbol, rich with imagined meaning.

The stone graphic and concentric metal totem below hinted that the forest itself may pose mysteries and puzzles for us to ponder.

I recorded a 60-second rain-dampened video of our entry to MFP.

Although the preserve forest falls short of the scale and sanctity of old-growth redwood and coastal Douglas fir stands, an eastern US perspective allowed me to appreciate this untouched upland ecosystem. A large loblolly pine reached well over one hundred feet above, spreading wide.

Nearby, a regal red oak stood fat and tall. Had a logging crew been given a chance (logger’s choice), this specimen would have been the first to grace a log truck mill-bound. We foresters commonly sleuth stand history by the quality of tress left, even long after severed stumps have decayed. I saw no evidence at MFP of prior high-grading, the practice of removing high quality standing timber and leaving less commercially valuable stems: smaller, degraded, lower desirability species, hollowed, and decayed.

Like the loblolly, the oak occupies a dominant canopy position.

Old-Growth vs. Undisturbed Forest

I’ve been guilty a few times by my own persistent stereotype that the term old-growth implies an ancient forest of magnificent large trees, heavily-shaded understory, mossy ground cover, and fairy tale images fleeting among wisps of fog and vapors. I’ve seen such forests in west coastal rain forests, from northern California redwoods to Oregon’s Douglas fir to the western hemlock and Sitka spruce of southeastern Alaska. I’ve wandered into an occasional dreamscape, magical stand here in the eastern US under the right conditions of landscape, weather, light, and mood (my mood!). I relax my criteria for the reality of our eastern forests.

I also distinguish old-growth from undisturbed forest. Marshall Forest Preserve is undisturbed according to the historical narrative that supported its classification as a National Natural Landmark. Likewise, I cannot contest that it is old-growth. I make the distinction because I routinely visit two local north Alabama disturbed forests that are crossing the threshold (and may have already entered) from late mature to old-growth. One is an 80-90-year-old bottomland forest on the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. A second is what I call the Cathedral Forest on Monte Sano State Park. The WNWR stand regenerated naturally from abandoned farmland. I believe the Cathedral Forest regenerated naturally following a combination of natural disturbance and timber harvesting.

Additional Old-Growth Evidence

Allow me to attempt conveying additional evidence of the old-growth character of MFP. I’ll borrow photos from two places on prior occasions to make my point. The 22-inch diameter loblolly pine below stands in a rich riparian abandoned agricultural field on the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge near Huntsville, Alabama. The tree is ~80 years old. I am sure that the annual growth rings are wide, evidencing rapid diameter growth. The bark furrows are deep, also suggesting vigorous radial expansion.

This loblolly, planted less than 30 years ago on an old field converted to a disc golf course on the North Alabama Land Trust’s Chapman Mountain Nature Preserve has grown rapidly across its short life. Thinned at least once, the forest is growing audibly (okay, I’m exagerating a bit). Prescribed fire is holding vegetative competition at bay. Nothing could be further from exhibiting old-growth character than this intensively managed forest.

Perhaps 30 inches in diameter, this MFP loblolly tells a different tale. It’s shallowly furrowed broad platy bark suggests an extended period (many decades) of mature radial expansion. This old sentinel is content for now. There is no need to secure additional moisture, nutrients, and space. Its shredded, shed bark trunk collar is a phenomenon I have seldom seen, yet it shouted out for my attention. I suppose that the shredded bark skin at its base is resistant to decay (dry-layered above the moist mineral soil), even if very flammable. This segment of th MFP has not burned, at least for decades.

Its spreading flat-top canopy stands beside a massive dominant oak.

Another dominant loblolly pine stands tall, with crown space separating it from adjacent hardwoods, another indication perhaps that the old, mature stand has achieved a level of equilibrium. No longer does fierce competition among trees rule the day.

I recorded this 60-second video of a large white oak and adjacent loblolly tree near the trailhead, expressing the same characteristics of main canopy stability.

Another reverent white oak monarch stands watch on a preserve hillside.

Large ancient trees are absent across much of the preserve. Every acre does not portray the old-growth label. In fact, I wonder whether without having read the MFP history and its desgination as a National Natural Landmark, I would have immediately declared, “This forest is unquestionably old-growth.”

Old-growth or not, spring was erupting on the preserve.

I shall never tire of seeing mountain azalea proclaiming the vernal season in our southern forests!

I recorded this 59-second, a celebratory homage, as the sun broke through the persistant stratus.

Succulent oak gall wasp ovipositors have riddled these fresh oak leaves with visible postules.

Life in the forest ecosystem is complex, layered among its richly diverse floral, fauna, food chains, consumers, decomposers, competitors, symbionts, and life forms, and agents of death and renewal.

An Enigma

I’ll end with a full portfolio of old forester embarrassment. I spotted a strange growth (fungal; bacterial; alien life form; extraterrestrial???) on the side of an old sweetgum. Odd grey matter with a green wig-like shroud, and some lateral orange highlights.

I snapped a few photos, including close-ups. My colleagues were forging ahead. I didn’t take time to feel, probe, or handle. I thought I could identify later with iNaturalist and reference books, or perhaps a query with relevant FaceBook groups.

If nothing else, I felt that I may have discovered a new or rare life form. My reference books, internet search, and iNaturalist efforts yielded nothing. So I shifted to Facebook groups. Several folks pointed to nothing more exciting than some former woods traveler had bound the younger sweetgum with a colorful nylon or polypropylene rope; the tree grew around it; and only the cut ends protrude from the tree. Perhaps my camera managed to capture fairy tale images fleeting among wisps of fog and vapors.

Albert Einstein would have chastized this old forester:

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.

I failed to look deeply into these strange organisms. I’m embarrassed, yet not fully convinced that an old-growth forest sweetgum could scam me with a modern rope protruding from its ancient core. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. I want to go back for a second, deeper look!